WHY IS THIS THE TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE FOR OUR PLANET?

By Eleanor Wyatt

Everyone says it is up to our generation to make a difference and save our planet. Grandparents, parents, and elders say it is up to us. They say this is the time to change, make a difference, and save our planet. But why? And why now?

The 'why' is easy, our planet is not everlasting and is slowly dying due to the harsh conditions it is under with the natural climate change caused by the solar flares, the earth's rotation and the greenhouse effect, but now it is happening way faster than it should as we are cutting down trees in large quantities to precisely 42 million trees are cut down each day, the burning of fossil fuels, the large meat consumption which is growing and growing demand for land for agriculture

Thus, speeding up climate change by releasing greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide causes a thick blanket over the earth to trap sunlight, warm our planet up, and cause climate change.

But why now? Could not our parents have done this for us? Why couldn't our grandparents do it? Moreover, why do we have to do it now when it has been happening for years? It is because, as we know, climate change is only getting worse and worse, and the older generations deny the fact it is happening as in some of their lives, it did not happen with tremendous consequences, and so they deny the facts and scientific evidence.

Also, no one believed in helping as everyone relied on politicians and world leaders to start the action, which they did not as they procrastinated as they have always said:

'we have a couple more years' and 'there are more important things', which might be valid but objective evidence shows that climate change is happening and will cause minor irreversible consequences and will have massive effects.

Climate change's effects on us and the environment are unmeasurable by any standard. We are fortunate to live in London, so not many people realise how severe the effects of climate change are

Climate change is happening all around us: Venice is sinking due to rising sea levels and is said to be underwater by at least 2100 scientists, which is only 77 years away! We will lose and cause species to go extinct as the habitats are becoming hotter and they are not adapted to them.

Hurricanes and tropical storms are going to get stronger and will occur more often, and weather will get more extreme with hotter summers and colder winters everywhere.

This might seem like a great idea in London, where it does not snow much, but in countries such as Niger in Africa the growing season will become shorter, and they are running out of food, and the truth is they are starving to death.

You might be thinking, what can I do?

Alternatively, you might think anything you do is pointless and will not help.

That is very untrue! There are so many little things that you can do (that will massively help), such as; Taking a bus or tube to school. We have South Kensington and Gloucester Road tube stations; take a reusable straw and cup to Starbucks. Did you know you can get a discount if you bring a reusable cup to Starbucks?

Alternatively, talk to Mr Moss when you see him around school or environmental monitors at school and ask them what you can do to help. UVMM set up project sound in school, which has significant meanings.

It is the process in which one spreads the word about climate change. Tell family and friends about facts you have learnt or how you can help and the small things you can do because spreading the word means it will gain a more extensive reach and impact on helping the environment.

Project sound does not mean having to change a complete lifestyle or taking massive leaps at a time, but it is the things that you can help with which can save money and save the planet at the time.

Next time you are on the 4th floor of Queen's Gate, go to 4.1 and look at the project sound pledges, where the school pledged what they would do and would not do. They are simple and easy ideas on the wall, but that is all that matters because, in the end, so many pledges and people want to get involved, which shows that it is possible when you believe it can have an impact.

Overall, the climate crisis is such a massive problem and caused by lots of different reasons, both natural.

One of the problems is that too many people think, 'Oh, it does not matter if I do nothing; someone else will' or 'Another time' or 'It does not matter if I do not do anything, others can do it for me' but by understanding what we are doing and the effects we are having on our planet, we can understand what to do to help as it is possible.

It might seem like a massive issue, but breaking it down and taking small steps towards a cleaner, more sustainable future will help bit by bit. If we can change our mindsets to believe that we can do it and it is possible, then we can influence people, friends and family, teachers and strangers to change their lifestyle as well, one step at a time.